Competitive Nature of Golf

More on the differences in the competitive nature of the sports – one thing that I always found satisfying was recognizing how your body would move, sometimes reacting without your thinking, in basketball. Those were the best moves.

Once, playing with my friend Brian Brady, I found a zone is basketball, at an outdoor court in Blue Ash. Making consecutive shots from the foul line, three point, half court, then three-quarter court. All while being watched by two guys about to play us two-on-two.  Fun stuff.

With golf, at one point, trying to recreate the reactionary environment, I insisted on chatter when I was swinging. Of course, that’s a real no-no in the golf community.  I found that it made me concentrate even more.

By the way, Dalai would never chatter – but, he enjoyed it, nevertheless.

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The Art of Competition

People have always considered me a competitive person – maybe partly because of my athletic background (college baseball and gym rat for many years). 

But, in particular, with both of those situations, competing never played a part.

In baseball, for instance, being on the mound and performing – the art of pitching – was why I was there. Yes, I wanted to win, but I remember games I lost 1-0 and 2-1 that stand out.

In basketball, the workout and the camaraderie were the main reasons to be involved.

However, golf was different – it was an experience of being outdoors and being with the Dalai Lama. I was never any good.  But, I kept playing.

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Do you believe in Good & Evil?

Do you believe in Duality? Good Vs. Evil? Right Vs. Wrong? Mind Vs. Body? Immortality of the soul? What is your myth? Where are your metaphors?

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Without Duality?

If there is no duality, then is there only acceptance?  Would judgments, consequences and ramifications simply become actions without a preface? Would there be injustice – or for that matter, justice?  Without judgments, where is evil?

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Can you help?

Do you believe you can help people? What if they don’t want your help? What if they think that by not allowing you to help them, they are helping you? What is help? Where is help? Who is help? Never why. Never “why” is there help.

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Mystical Vs. Logical

In the West, we need to be cognizant of our propensity to allow logical thinking to dominate our consciousness – therefore discounting the sometimes mystical, or the idea that some things just can’t be explained.

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The Gay Judgmental Factor

Although I’m not gay (not sure why I have to say that), it is apparent to me that judgmental interpretations (of the Bible and other religious documents) about this are directly opposed to what those documents teach. What’s up with that?

If the lessons are – peace, love and acceptance, then how can churches exclude based on comments like “the bible says”?

A church that accepts gays, to me, is a church I want to belong to – because that means they’ll accept me, even if I’m not gay. I won’t be judged.  Of course, I’m also in the Cycle of Hypocrisy myself – judging those churches that judge. Egad, will this ever end?

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Fire Metaphor

Isn’t building a fire a great metaphor?  It will keep you warm if you build it correctly – if you continue to feed it – if you don’t let it get out of hand and burn you – if you respect it.

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The Cycle of Hypocrisy

Growing up, there was something about church that didn’t feel right to me.  As I grew older, I began to judge those people as hypocrites. They were not true Christians, but they were judging others.

How many times did I hear that you would “go to hell” if you sinned, or that someone was bad because they did something wrong. It was a big gossip factory.

So, I quit going.

Ah, but what was I doing?  I was judging; I was not accepting. I was doing just the same as they were doing. I have concluded, we’re all hypocrites until we can accept everyone for who they are and what they are.

It’s a challenge I face every day – heck, every minute – based on my observations, my experience and my stereotypes.

I look at what the new testament/Jesus says: peace, love and acceptance. How does that get misconstrued, in my opinion into wars, hate and exclusion?

But, it does. I judge that, hence I am caught in this Cycle of Hypocrisy.  To get out, you need to be pure.  The Dalai Lama seems pure to me.

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Preface

Buddhism and golf just seem to go together.  And, the story about bringing them together can be both fact and fiction.  I’m not preaching religion, just depicting mythology.  How do we reach our inner spirit?  Not through story, but through actions.

Golf gives us this opportunity, as it’s the only sport I’ve ever played that I can get better at, without practicing.  Of course, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t practice to get better at golf. It means, that by thinking about the game – watching the game – and provoking the game’s silence and mental acuity, you can mindfully improve your game.

It is the dichotomy of knowing and doing.  Doing it, by Buddhist standards …

And there lies the myth.  Becoming the person who can implement their thoughts – pulling out of the world of dualism and bringing spirit and body together.  Even if it’s only for the short period we are here.  Or, on the golf course.

As this story unfolds, it will be obvious that the Dalai Lama is not THE Dalai Lama, but someone who has the Dalai Lama qualities.  He’s a combination of mythology, spirituality, religion, and a keen professor from Miami of Ohio, who we call the Dalai Lama.

We called him Dalai Lama for several reasons – he was bright, calm, loving, balanced, and he practiced his craft.  He wasn’t someone to one person and someone else to another person – and, he could spot the fakes a mile away.  But, his alignment was not to judge, but to focus on what he could do – many times ignoring what others would have trouble ignoring.

At one point, I strayed from the Dalai Lama, as I became more involved in other agendas. It had a profound effect on my inner nature.  Not until I realized that I had neglected the Dalai Lama’s influence was I able to again begin the regaining of my spirit.

This book, I am hoping, will make me whole again.

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Weather

Loving rainy days as well as sunny days, and the cloudy days in between. Love our neighbors, any color or socio-economic status and all in between.  Appreciation of the sunny days becomes more acute knowing how raining days are.  Appreciation for rainy days comes because you know it will make the sunny days more potent.

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Co-creating: In the future, this blog will feature notes that will be used in the upcoming book

TENZIN GYATSO, THE 14TH DALAI LAMA:

We can see that all the desirable experiences that we cherish or aspire to attain are dependent upon cooperation and interaction with other sentient beings.

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